A Race Against Time
by twirltheflag
Summary: Vespera, a teenage time traveler, challenges the Doctor and his companions to a competition with dire consequences. More dire than she lets on. What's her real plan and will she win? Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

Info and Part 1

Name: Vespera

Age: … Well… the important part is that she looks 17

Height: 5'9"

Looks: Shoulder-blade length, straight blond hair. Bangs over her left eye to her cheek bones. Grey blue eyes. Pale skin.

Personality: An attitude the size of Russia. Determination that knows no bounds. Doesn't ever ask anyone for help or permission. Absolutely hates being helpless or speechless.

History: … You'll find out ;)

And now we begin…

…

Typical.

Of course he would land Cardiff to repair the TARDIS and recharge the battery.

He was becoming so predictable that it wasn't even fun anymore.

No matter. The real fun was just about to begin.

The commotion at the museum was going perfectly fine. It should keep him preoccupied just long enough for me to make my move.

Once he and his companions (the slutty Scott and her Neanderthal husband) had gotten far enough away, I revved the engine and took off on my motorcycle.

Just to mess with their heads, I decided to pass the. Well, I supposed if I'm honest, I nearly ran over them.

Just as the slutty Scot was starting to cross the street I sped through the red light and hurtled towards her. The two males pulled her back onto the sidewalk while the Neanderthal yelled at me to slow down.

The Doctor didn't say a word, as was his way.

But, the weird part was, as I passed them, my eyes met with the Doctors for brief moment.

Those eyes.

They say that the fury in those eyes have struck fear into the hearts of creatures across every single galaxy in the entire universe.

I couldn't see what everyone was so afraid of; nothing in his eyes made this idiot in a bow tie seem dangerous.

I skidded to stop right in front of his defective TARDIS, stuck in the form of 1960's English Police Call Box.

I slipped my black helmet off, flipping and shaking my hair out before smirking at the time machine.

Still mounted on the bike, I slipped my Sonic Spray Can out and pressed the button, scanning the machine from top to bottom.

Once I heard a beep, I got off the bike and dropped the Sonic Spray Can into a cup holder that slipped out of my bike.

Once the Sonic Spray Can beeped again, the motorcycle grew, shifting in and out and changing color until it looked exactly like the Police Call Box

Long story short, my motorcycle was actually _my _TARDIS. And I had camouflaged it to look just like the idiot's. Everything was perfectly copied; not just appearance, but all the sounds and smells.

I smirked, proud of my work before turning on my boot-clad heel and kicked open the door to the original Police Box. I closed and locked the doors behind me and took in the sites.

"Not an interior designer, is he?"

I marched up to the control panel, typed in the proper coordinates and pulled the starting leaver down.

Instantly, the machine jerked around, sending me sprawling to the glass floor. As the box groaned deeply, I struggled to get back to the panel. Once I was close enough, I slammed my hand down on a bright blue button, which I was hoping was the stabilizer.

Thank Gallifrey I was right. The ride got much smoother and quieter.

"This madman doesn't even know how to fly his own machine."

I flipped the breaks off and started fixing some other flaws until the ride was perfect.

Finally, I landed.

I stepped out of the telephone booth and found myself in the store room of my favorite galactic bar; Okara Johoes.

I stepped out of the store room and walked up to the mane bar, where Johoes, an Ood, was waiting for me.

We both leaned over the bar and I whispered into his ear, "You know what to do; don't let anyone disturb me and let Bow Tie man find me."

He nodded in agreement and I walked off to my private room in the back.

I locked the door behind me and walked up to a steel machine, kinda like a galactic vending machine. I ordered my favorite drink; An Okara Cocktail (Cream Soda with Okara Orange Cherry Juice, topped with a sweet olive from Hadda) Once I had my drink, I gave a small metal box a good kick and rock music started playing. I pulled a tall chair up to my private bar and rested my leather-boot-clad feet on top of the metal table.

"And now, I wait…"

…

I heard the lock on the door jiggling.

I was surprised. It had only been an hour since I left the madman.

'Oh, well. Fewer hours of boredom.'

I heard Johoes walk in, joined by three other pairs of feet. Then, Johoes walked back out and locked the door, without saying a word.

I took a sip of my third drink before picking up a fresh Granny Smith Apple and tossing it slightly behind me. I slipped my feet off the bar and spun around in my chair to face my guests. I stretched my hand out and caught my apple. I smirked at the Doctor before saying my first words to him.

"Buongiorno, Il Dottore."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

I bit into my apple, still smirking.

"Boungiorno. Chi potrebbe essere?"

Still chewing, I said, "Tutto quello che devi sapere -"

That's when the slutty Scott interrupted and said, "Would you two mind speaking in a language we can all understand."

I glared at the chick and, coldly, said, "Butt out, Ginger; this doesn't concern you."

As she stared in shock, her idiot husband stepped in front of her, clearly pissed off, and said, "No one talks to her like that."

"Hey! Beaker! Can it!"

At that moment the Doctor took two big steps towards me, ending up right in front of me. He looked down on me with a glaring smile and said, "Excuse me. I don't mind if you talk to me like that, but I suggest that you leave my friends alone."

And that moment I broke into cackling, evil and amused laughter. I was so close to crying, but I held back and calmed down so I could say, "Oooooo, I'm shaking in my boots." This was, of course, sarcastic, and it seemed to amuse him as much as it amused me.

At that moment, I snapped my fingers, having a chair slid out from the bar and skid until it was a few feet behind him. I kicked him right in the chest, sending him into the chair as I said, "Sit down, bow tie boy; you need to relax. Besides, we have much to discuss. I pray that we won't be interrupted too much." I glared, poignantly, at the couple and they glared right beck.

I turned back to the doctor, who was getting comfortable in his chair and straightening his bow tie. Once he crossed his legs, he said, "I don't discuss anything with strangers."

I smirked and said, "Vespera."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Vespera and that's all you need to know about _me_."

"I think I need to know a little more than that."

"And I don't think you do."

At that point he got this smirk on his face. However, the look in his eyes were far more threatening than his smile. He sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees, and said, "Tell me everything that I want to know or our conversation ends here."

Although the look, originally, caught me off guard, retained my composer by coping his pose and saying, "End the conversation and say goodbye to your TARDIS." I popped my eye brows to get my point across.

His smile fell but his eyes filled with even more threat. "Where is it?"

"I'll tell you when we're done talking."

"Why did you steal it?"

"You don't answer your phone and your psychic paper had shorted out. How else was I supposed to get you attention?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, mistrusting. "How do you know so much about me?"

"That's not important."

"What is?"

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs and saying, "Why we're all here.

He, reluctantly, leaned back as well before saying, "You said you wanted to get my attention. Well, you've got it... but, if your just going to play guessing games with me, then we'll be going."

Right when he was about to get up, I said, "I challenge you."

That made him freeze, which made me smirk. "To what?"

"A scavenger hunt."

His eye brow popped in interest and, slowly sat back down, making my smirk grow wider.

"Once I return your TARDIS to you, you will find that ten coordinates and times have been programmed into the system. With a tug of your leaver, the coordinates will be shuffled around you will be taken to one of the places at random. Find a "special" item in each of these places. Once you do, an Eleventh time and places will be revealed. The first one of us to arrive at this final destination with all the special items wins."

He thought it over for a moment, intrigued, before asking, "How do we know which items are special?"

"Easy." I dug into my leather coat pocket and pulled out a flask. Then, I slipped my Sonic Spray Can out. "You take your Sonic device, wave it over an object and if the object starts to glow green, you know you've found the right item." I waved my Sonic Spray Can over the flask and the flask started to glow bright green. "Anymore questions?"

He thought for a moment and, then, said, "Just one; how do I know you won't cheat."

I smirked again before saying, "I have no reason to."

"How do I know that?"

"There's nothing for me to gain from it."

"How do I know that?"

"Because this is simply a game. If you win, I'll buy you a drink but that's the most you can win or loose."

"Why should I take that chance?"

"Ugh. Fine. We'll do things your way." I slipped a pen and a folded up sheet of paper from my coat pocket. I laid the paper out on the bar, clicked the pen open and started writing, speaking as I wrote. " I, Vespera, do hereby promise to play nicely with the Doctor and follow the rules of our game. I do promise this on my own... blood." I looked him straight in the eye on the last word. I put the pen down and slipped my pocket knife from my pocket. I flipped out the thinest knife and pricked my finger on it, drawing a little bit of blood. I dragged my bloody finger over the paper, creating my "V" signature.

I looked at him with "Happy?" face. He seemed quiet shocked at my actions but he still slipped the paper from the bar, folded it back up and slipped it into his coat pocket.

"Your TARDIS is in the bar's store room, in the very back. Johoes, the bar tender, will take you there. All you have to do is ask. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a drink to get back to."

I spun around on my bar stool and picked up my drink, sipping it. I heard three pairs of feet shuffle out of the room and close the door behind them.

At that point, I smirked, setting my drink down before lifting my finger to eye level.

Suddenly, my finger started smoking gold smoke. A thin line of residue rose from my finger and, with that, my pricked bloody finger was heeled.

"Fool."

**Chi**** potrebbe**** essere?**** – ****Who**** might**** you**** be?**

**Tutto**** quello ****che**** devi**** sapere****– ****All**** you**** need**** to**** know****-**


	3. Chapter 3

**BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I KNOW; I'M USING THE ORIGINAL TORCHWOOD CAST, MOST OF WHO ARE (SPOILERS) DEAD. BUT I JUST LOVE THE ORIGINAL CAST SO MUCH THAT I COULDN'T USE ANYONE ELSE!**

Part 3

The items to collect; halves of 5 vases, scattered across time and space.

Of course, they were the only ones collecting items. They were the only ones playing the game. I had other plans.

After making sure that my presence was evident in a view places, I landed in the middle of an Archeological digging site. It was night time so the camp was abandoned. I landed fright in front of the biggest tent that was sent up and was shocked to find that the tent was surrounded police "DO NOT ENTER" tape. A noticed was also posted on the front of the tent.

I went up found that the note said, "RESTRICTED AREA: UNDER TORCHWOOD INVESTIGATION".

"Oh, shit."

I ducked under the tape and into the tent I sprinted up to the big whole the Archeological team had created. I whipped out my Sonic Spray Scan and scanned the whole, searching for the items I hid in the whole.

Nothing.

"Dammit!"

I marched back out of the tent and mounted my Motorcycle TARDIS. I revved the engine and took off, making a beeline for Cardiff.

…

11:55 p.m.

'Come on. Most of you have to go home sometime.'

I had been waiting by the towers of the Whales Millennium Centre for nearly an hour. Hidden by my black hoodie, I had been watching the Roald Dahl Plass, waiting for, at least, four of the members of Torchwood Three to pack up theirs things and leave.

Finally, at exactly midnight, they came out through their half invisible door way. Two women and two men.

That left me with the big challenge.

I smirked to myself. 'As much as this is a pain in the ass, it could get interesting.'

Once the group was out of sight, I rush back to my motorcycle and sped down the base's entrance by the docks. After picking the fake stores lock and closing the door behind me, I started to look for a switch or a button; something to open up a fake wall. Right behind the desk was a red button surrounded by blue, asking to be pushed. I pushed it with caution and when the door locked fast again and the back wall swung open I started to wonder if it wasn't too easy.

I walked through the dark corridor while keeping on my toes.

As I was riding down the elevator, I prepared myself for any and all weapons.

When the panel slid open behind me to reveal the gear like door to the base, I moved with suspicion.

I hate to admit it but the base was impressive. Good use of the space, high-tech-state-of-the-art equipment, interesting specimens (meaning the pterodactyl). They knew how to work at TORCHWOOD.

But didn't let myself get comfortable. There was still someone in the base and it wasn't just anyone. It was a man who, for the life of him (no pun intended), could not die. I needed to be careful.

After looking around, I found this immortal man on the couch in the bases hangout area. I could tell this was where they spent all their leisure time. There were pizza boxes everywhere.

The handsome man was covered up by a wool blanket and his breathing was steady. He was asleep.

Or acting asleep. Better to be safe the sorry.

If there was one thing I knew about this man it's that he will take any chance to put the moves on someone. I leaning over him, getting my face two inches away from his and breathing, steadily, on his face. I waited for him to cut the act and crash his lips onto mine. If he did, I'd make sure that he couldn't kiss anyone ever again.

He did nothing. He wasn't just asleep; he was fast asleep. Not even a fog horn could wake him.

I left the man on the couch and started thinking; where would he keep them?

I decided to look to the computer. Surely, they had to have information files on everything they had collected. All I had to do was hack. Easy enough.

I slipped out my Sonic Spray Can and scanned then key board. Yes, all the keys would have layers upon layers of finger prints. But certain keys would have more layers than all the others. Those keys would be the password into the data system.

Once I was in, I started searching for the most recent documents, trying to find the files for what I was looking for. Recent Documents. Searching everything by date. And nothing was coming up.

"Come on. Come on. Where are you?"

"Yeah, talk to the computer. That'll make a difference."

I froze and the sound of a handsome voice.

So, the immortal Captain was faking his sleep.

I cursed myself for letting my guard down so easily.

I eased my hands off of the key board, trying not to make any sudden moves; I wanted to make him think that he had the upper hand. Then, as fast as I could, I slipped my Sonic Spray Can out and whipped around, prepared to immobilize them.

Suddenly, my hand started to smolder and burn.

I dropped my Sonic Device, vocalizing my pain, and took a look at my hand. It was now covered with second degree burns.

I looked up a found that the Captain was not alone. Apparently, the group of four had doubled back. Now, they were glaring at me, pointing guns at me. The captain was the only one who was glaring or armed. He just smirked at me while spinning a small pocket pistol on his finger.

The Captain showed me the pistol and said, "Thermal Pistol. Point it at any metal within a 10-feet-radius and that metal will get hotter than a freshly made sword."

I glared at him as I pulled my sweatshirt sleeve down and slipped my thumb through the cuff whole. I clench my fist tightly, fighting the pain.

The Captain's smirk widen as he stuck his hand out and said, "Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?"

I looked at his hand, not interested it shaking it at all, before saying. "None of your business."

"Are you sure you want to answer that way when you're in our secret base and we've got guns on you?"

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right; I was in a helpless situation where cooperation would, most likely, be the only way out. "Vespera."

"I'm sorry."

"My name is Vespera."

He smirked again, saying, "Nice to meet you Vespera."

At that point I rolled my eyes and said, "As amusing as your old fashion flirting is, I don't have time for this."

"You'll _make_ time for some questions."

"Like hell I will. I'm not answering anything."

His smiled faded and he stared at me before saying, "Have it your way."

I was confused when he started walking away but then, I started to figure it out. The shorter man, who was their pathologist, started coming closure and he slipped a syringe from his pocket.

My reflexes kicked in and I kicked him right in the stomach.

That sent the whole pack on me. The other three tackled me to the ground and pinned me down.

As I struggled, the pathologist crawled over and slammed the needle right into the back of my neck, making me cry out in pain.

Right when I was about to kick ass, I started to feel woozy and groggy.

Suddenly, my world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

I started to regain consciousness.

The bright lights made me want to keep my eyes closed but I forced them open anyways.

I was on a bed in a cell made of concrete and glass. The draft suggested that it was under ground.

I remembered my hand and lazily raised my arm over my face. I unhooked my from the cuff hole and slid the sleeve back. Golden dust shook from the fabric and residue floated into the air. My second degree burns had become first degree burns.

That's when I heard foot steps.

I, quickly, slid my sleeve back down and started rubbing my eyes, acting like I had just woken up.

I, lazily, rolled my head toward the sliding glass door and found the Captain standing there, with his arms crossed.

"Have a nice nap?"

"Bugger off."

He chuckled at my half-hearted insult attempt before I asked, "What time is it?"

He looked at his watch and stated, matter-of-factly, "6:02 p.m."

I looked at him in disbelief but, when he nodded, I knew it was the truth. Then, I asked, "What was in that syringe?"

"That's not important."

"What is?"

"You answering my questions."

"Piss off."

"Look, I can make things easy on you if you just cooperate. If you don't, I can bring in someone else who's not so nice."

I closed my eyes, still exhausted from the drug, and said, "Read my lips; Do. Your. Worst."

"You asked for it." And with that he walked off.

…

How long was I in there?

Hours.

And, not only had they nicked my Sonic Spray Can, but my iPod and cell phone as well. So it was hour after hour after hour of pure and utter boredom.

I, eventually, got to the point where I was just meditating on my bed, trying to think of a way out.

Suddenly, two pairs of feet stop in front of my cell door.

I cracked my eyes open.

Surprise.

The Doctor was standing there with Captain Jack.

"Hello, Vespera."

I just looked at the Captain and said, "I tell you to do your worst and this is what you give me?"

They both chuckled before the Captain asked, "Are you sure you can handle her?"

"No, but that's what will make this interesting. Open the door."

The Captain typed in a code on the key pad just outside my cell, and, with that the glass door slid open.

"Oh, finally!" I made a beeline for the door. Naturally, as my escape chances were as thins as possible, the Captain and the Doctor hooked their arms through mine and shoved me back into the cell.

The Doctor walked in and looked at me with a hard smirk, saying, "You're not getting out. I'm coming in."

With that, Captain Jack closed the door behind the Doctor and walked off.

I smirked at the Doctor and asked, "Are you sure about getting into a cell with a woman you know absolutely nothing about?"

His smirk widened and he said, "Give me a little time and I'll be in a cell with a woman that I know absolutely _everything_ about."

My smirk dropped and became glare. I walked up and touched my left shoulder to his right before asking, "Is that a threat?"

The Doctor's smirk, also, dropped, and met my glare with a straight face. "A promise."

I digested the answer, scoffed and said, "Don't make promises you can keep." I walked on by him towards my cell door, leaning against it with my right arm over my head.

"How's this for a promise I can't keep; I'm the only one who can get you out of here. One word from me and Jack will let you go. All you have to do is answer a few questions."

"Now that's a threat."

"No, it's not."

"Blackmail is a threat."

"But a condition is not."

"Yeah, well, screw that. Give _me_ a little time and I'll find a way out of here on my own."

"And if you do, what then? You're in an under ground base with the five people who put you in this cell, and each and every one of them are armed. Add me and my friends to that and you have eight people who are determined to keep you in here unless we get some answers. Even if you get out of the cell, how are you going to get out of the base? And, even if you could get out of the base, all of your possessions are in custody; face it, Vespera. You're helpless."

At that point, I snapped.

I whipped around and grabbed him by his jacket and pushed him up against the back wall, glaring up into his eyes. Right when I was about to give him a few good threats of my own, I noticed something. His eyes were calm. Not even a hint of surprise in them. But he wasn't expecting me to get violent; I could tell. It was as if he was… testing me.

_Give me a little time and I'll be in a cell with a woman that I know absolutely everything about._

'I may refuse to answer questions… but every word I say and every move I make can still reveal things about me.'

I took deep breathes and, slowly, let go of his jacket. I backed up and turned back to the door, refusing to let him read my eyes.

I head his clothes rustling around (probably straightening his bow tie) and then I heard him plop down on my bed.

Awkward silence fell over us. I almost preferred his babbling to the silence. It didn't help that I felt his eyes on me, not looking away for even a moment.

I was getting a wee bit unsettled so I closed my eyes and told myself to calm down and not show my uneasiness. I imagined my world; the world that always calmed me down. A world with no day; just a moonless night with a million diamonds in the sky. A world of water. A world with roses and lilies growing in the water. A world where I can walk on the water and sleep on a bed of roses.

"What's that around your neck?"

I snapped my eyes open.

While I was thinking of my world, I had, subconsciously, started fingering the watch that hung around my neck. A gift from my father and a memento of the good old days. The problem was, my father and the Doctor were good friends. If the Doctor saw the watch, everything I had planned would be ruined.

"… Nothing."

I heard him stand up. "Liar."

"You're one to talk."

"Let me see it."

"No."

That's when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"GET OFF ME!"

I slapped his hand away and stepped away from him.

For a moment, we just stared at each other, trying to read one another's toughts.

Judging from what his eyes said, I had displayed to much about myself again. And I promised I wouldn't make that mistake again.

I marched over to my bed and plopped down on my left side, facing the dank wall.

Silence fell over us again.

"You know, I'm a very patient man. I can wait as long as I need to."

'Gallifrey, help me.'


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Sirens started wailing.

I bolted up, shocked and curious to know what was going on.

The Doctor was, immediately, jolted from his corner nap and he jumped to his feet. He bolted towards the locked cell door and punched in a code. The door opened and he started to rush out of the cell.

I leaped off the bed and tried to follow him. However, he pushed me back towards the bed and said, with a worried look on his face. "Stay here."

He shut the door behind him and punched in a new code, re-locking the door. I pounded on the door, yelling at him as he ran away.

The moment he left the dungeon area, I stopped pounding on the door.

I took a step back.

I reached into my sweatshirt.

And I pulled out the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.

~10 Minutes Earlier~

I don't know how long I had been lying on the bed.

All I knew was that I found it impossible to fall asleep with that Time Lord in the same room as me.

I hated this man with a passion.

Besides all he had done to me, he was annoying.

Even his breathing was annoying.

His constant, steady breathing.

'Wait.'

I, slowly and quietly, sat up and looked behind me.

The doctor had fallen asleep in the corner of my cell, leaning up against the wall.

And his jacket was hanging open from the weight of his Sonic Screwdriver.

It didn't even take a nanosecond for me to come up with a full-on, fool-proof plan.

I leaned down and tapped at the back heel of my right boot.

The secret compartment popped open and my numbing ink pad slipped out.

The ink from the pad numbed the nerves of any skin it came in contact with, spread through out the body till it, eventually, reached the brain, which would also become numb. Plus, it left a dirty trail behind on everything he would touch.

Perfect.

I slipped my boots off so that I could, stealthily, step close enough to the Doctor's. I knelt down next to the sleeping body. I, lightly, lifted one of the Doctor's fingers and slid the ink pad under it. It didn't take much for the ink to start setting in. In no time, his fingers were covered with the ink and the numbness and spread though out his arms.

Now was my chance.

I slipped the Sonic Screwdriver from the Doctor's pocket without any worries. I slipped a think pen into it's place so that he wouldn't get suspicious when he woke up.

I slipped over to the pad which kept the door locked.

With a press of a button, I could open the door.

But then I'd have the rest of TORCHWOOD to deal with and a Sonic Screwdriver can only do so much.

Besides, where would the fun be?

I wanted to make sure that these people – that this monster – didn't know weather they were coming or going.

I pressed a button on the Sonic Screwdriver and, instantly, hacked into the alarm system. I set the timer so that the alarm would go off in ten minutes. That meant that when the Doctor woke up, he would be stumbling like an idiot and he wouldn't be able to know why; the numbing ink would still be in his system but he would never know.

With that I slipped the Sonic Screwdriver into my sweatshirt and laid back on the bed, returning to my assumed innocence.

~Back to where we were~

I held the Sonic Screwdriver in front of my face as I smirked.

"Fool."

I walked up to the pad and took a look at the numbers. The ink left finger prints on all the number he pressed. 86724. TORCH. 'Why didn't I think of that?'

No matter.

I slipped out of my cell and strutted right out of the dungeon area.

Right as I got up to the main level of TORCHWOOD, I caught the Toshiko woman running out the double doors to a storage area. If I remembered my hacked notes correctly, Yanto hid his half-cyberman girlfriend down there.

It was too perfect that I just couldn't resist messing with their heads a little bit.

First, I used the Sonic Screwdriver to lock the double doors into the storage area. I didn't want any interruptions for long time.

Then, I used the Sonic Screwdriver again to break into Jack's office and get my supplies back. You know, Sonic Spraycan, TARDIS keys, etc.

I went up to Toshiko's main computer and hacked into the system with ease. I decided to make my document searching a little easier and used my Sonic Spraycan as a searching device.

With that, I found the compartment that held the "artifacts" that TORCHWOOD had taken into custody, as well as where my TARDIS was being kept.

I broke into Captain Jacks office and found his safe. The Sonic Screwdriver cracked the combination lock for me and the safe eased open. Inside was a jar that had survived over the centuries.

But the jar was for the Doctor. After all, he was involved in a Scavenger hunt… which I had challenged him to…. But I was never playing in my own game...

What I needed was inside the jar. A small perfume bottle full of red liquid.

Blood.

I took the bottle and hid slipped it into my pocket. Then, I took the vase out of the safe and left it on the coffee table in TORCHWOOD's relaxation section (couch with pizza boxes). After all, in order for my plan to work, the Doctor needed the vase. And, I also promised, in my own blood, that I would play fair with Doctor, so I left his Sonic Screwdriver in the vase. After all, I didn't need it.

'Now for the difficult part.'

As it turns out, my TARDIS was being held in a storage shed compartment… in the storage area… where all of my enemies were.

Basically, I needed to navigate myself through and under ground maze to get to my TARDIS _without_ running into the Doctor and TORCHWOOD.

I unlocked the storage area doors, ran out, locked them behind me and took off through the maze.

~Meanwhile~

TORCHWOOD, The Doctor and his companions had searched the storage basement from top to bottom. Nothing seemed to be wrong… except the Doctor seemed far less coordinated than usual. He was running into walls, stumbling all over the place, and his speech was slurred. Rory thought he was having a stroke while Amy thought he was just drunk.

Anyway, TORCHWOOD met in the middle hallway, giving reports.

Jack took charge. "Toshiko, did you and Owen find anything?"

"Nothing. I have no idea what set off the alarm."

"Ianto, what about you two?"

Ianto and Gwen shook their heads.

Suddenly, the Doctor, Rory, and Amy came running up the group of five. The Doctor was still have navigation/speech problems. It wasn't as bad as when he first started running through the storage area, but it still slowed him down

"Anything?"

Amy spoke for the Doctor. "The only thing strange is this drunkard." She, slightly, pushed the Doctor.

"I'mmmmm not druuuuuunk."

"I think he's having a stroke."

Amy rolled her eyes and said, "You've check him 3 times and you said it's not a stroke."

Jack pursed his lips. "I'll bet that little bitch did something to you."

Owen looked at Jack, cynically. "What could she have done? We confiscated everything we could find on her."

Gwen stopped the fight before it started and said, "We'll discuss this later. Right now, we need to find the problem."

"I KNOW!"

Everyone looked at the Doctor like the madman that he was. "I can ssssscan the area."

Amy shouted, "Why didn't you think of that sooner."

The Doctor thought about it and said, "I don't knoooooowa. It sssshould have been the ffffirst thing I thought offffff."

He slightly opened his jacket and reached into his pocket.

He whipped out… a pen.

And everyone stared in shock, thinking that same thing. "That little bitch."

Jack took charge. "Doctor, Ianto, Owen! We'll all go down to the storage garage that has her motorcycle. Girls, back to the base! She may still be there!"

With that the group separated.

The girls ran down to the two double doors. When they tried to run through them, they stopped and crashed to the group. Toshiko hopped and tried the door again. Locked.

Jack answered her call just as they were coming up on the storage garage.

"What?"

"The doors are looked!"

"What?"

"She's locked the doors! We can't get in!"

"Good! That means she can't get out!"

That when the garage door to the storage compartment shot up.

Vespera, mounted on her motorcycle, zoomed out of the compartment and down the corridor in the opposite direction of the boys.

The boys stared, stunned for a few moments, before Jack shouted, "She's heading for a dead end! After her!"

They, all, took off running after her.

The Doctor caught her eyes looking back at him a few times… there was utter hatred in those eyes…. Just like when she pushed him up against the wall in her cell.

'She hates me… but why?'

Dead end.

Verspera turned her self in a hasty U-turn, almost making herself parallel to the floor.

She planted her boot-clad foot on the floor, stopping her motor-bike as she glared at the 4 men.

Jack, Ianto, and Owen whipped out their guns as Jack said, "End of the line Verspera. It was a good try, but theirs no where left to run."

Verspera didn't make a move.

"Off the bike."

She didn't obey. In fact, she just rotated her hand on the bike handle, revving the engine, letting Jack know that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jack cocked his gun. "Off the bike or I shoot."

"Shoot her and answer to me."

Jack should have expected the Doctor to say something like that. After all, the Doctor hated guns.

The Doctor turned back to Vespera and took two steps forward, putting him ahead of the other men.

"Vespera. Calm down. All we want to do is talk. We're not going to hurt you."

With that, Verspera started burning rubber. She brought her foot of the ground and started zooming right at the Doctor.

The boys brought their guns back up, but the Doctor held up his hand, silently telling them not to shoot and that everything would be okay.

Vespera was gain speed and coming closer.

She was bound to him.

But the Doctor didn't budge. He didn't flinch. He didn't even close his eyes.

She was an inch away.

A big flash of light.

Vespera was gone.

And the Doctor was still standing.

…

Everyone was back in the main area of TORCHWOOD Headquarters. They were all sitting on the couch, looking at the vase that Vespera had left for them. The Doctor's sonic Screwdriver was still in the artifact…. Along with a note that said, "I promised to play fair."

Amy was really pissed off. "This little brat has done nothing but mess with our heads ever since we met her. She's rude and big headed and I do NOT like her."

Rory chimed in. "Does anyone?" The question was met with silence.

Jack took over the conversation. "What is this game she's getting you involved? Has anything strange happened?"

"The only strange thing is that we have no idea how she's doing in this whole race. Sometimes it seems like we're way a head of her. Other times it seems like she's the one with the big lead."

Through out this whole conversation, the Doctor hadn't said a word. In fact, he hadn't taken his eyes off of the vase with his screwdriver and the note.

'She hates me… She wants me dead… why didn't she just kill me when she had the chance? And why does she want me dead?'

…

~Back to Vespera~

I landed the TARDIS.

France, 1418.

Just outside the home of one of the most amazing men in existence.

With a smirk, I kicked in the door and strolled in.

The man and his Misses was just sitting down to dinner. The both stood up in panic. The man stepped in front of his wife and yelled, in a think French accent, "Who are you?"

"Nicholas Flamel… I'm your new employer…"


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Antarctica.

A land of snow and ice.

No humans.

Just penguins and bears, seals and whales.

Uninhabitable.

Of course, that didn't stop me.

I had set up a perimeter the had installed heating. Anybody inside that perimeter wouldn't have to feel the cold.

I stood just at the edge of the perimeter staring out into the frozen darkness. The only light came from the lights around the perimeter.

This desolate wasteland was where it would happen.

The Doctor would die there.

'Just a little longer…'

"Miss?"

I looked over my shoulder and found Flamel, glaring at me the same way ever since we first met. Ever since I forced him to do my bidding in order for his wife to live.

"They're ready."

I turned on my heel at let the old man lead me to my army.

My army of ice.

Nicholas Flamel a.k.a. "The Alchemist". However, "alchemy" had a different meaning back in his day. It didn't mean turning any metal in gold. It meant controlling auras, the very power of human beings.

Nicholas Flamel was one of the few alchemists who could control his aura on such a level that her could create living, moving, beings from inanimate objects; Golems

So I dragged him down to Antarctica, gave him materials that he never had access to and viola; an army of 6 billion Ice Golems, waiting for my command.

And the best part was that the world thought Nicholas Flamel was dead so I was, in no way, damaging the time line. After all, Flamel would die on the same day the Doctor would. In fact, all of planet Earth would perish with the Doctor.

"You've done well, Flamel."

"Now return Perenelle to me."

I gave him my darkest glare. "Only after a man dies will you see your wife again. Surely, I told you that."

He was pissed off, but he kept his mouth shut and bowed in apology and forced respect.

The act made me smirk.

He was not the only genius I had done this too.

Gregor Mendel. He was locked in the basement of my Ice Castle, using technology far advanced compared to his time. He was cloning from the vile of blood I retrieved from TORCHWOOD. Soon there would be enough blood to inject every single Ice Golem.

Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed and constructed my Ice Castle which now toward behind my army of 6 billion Ice Golems.

I admit, the castle my have been much but, hell, I had class. Besides, it was a celebration; I might as well enjoy myself.

I had promised the three geniuses freedom once I was sure I wouldn't need them anymore (i.e. once the Doctor was dead.) Then, they'd by free… to die.

The icing was ready. Now, I just the cake; the Doctor's death.

…

I was lounging in my Ice Throne in my doomsday outfit; Black, knee-high, leather boots with buckles and zippers, blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a brown, leather vest with a coyote fur lining and collar.

I sat with my crossed legs hanging over the left arm of the throne, enjoying myself, when Wright entered. "They're here."

My smirked widened. I nodded to Wright and said, "You know what to do."

Wright, timidly, bowed his head in feared respect, and popped back out.

In no time at all, he popped back in again with Mendel and Flamel and each one of them had The Doctor and his companions in bound tow. Mendel and Wright forced Amy and Rory to their knees while Flamel left the Doctor standing, just like I had ordered. Then, they left to prepare.

I smirked at the doctor, tied up and helpless, but still standing, as expected. Just the way I wanted it.

"Good morning, sunshine."

With a flourish, I flipped my legs off of the arm rest and stood.

"It seems you've found all ten special items. Congratulations; you won the race!" I started clapping in slow, taunting manner, causing the Doctor to glare at me.

It was even better than I had imagined.

I stopped clapping. "Then again, its difficult _lose_ a game… when you have no opponent."

The Doctor looked at me with clear confusion, much to my disappointment. "Oh, come now, Doctor. Don't tell me that you didn't think there was _something_ going on?"

I strutted down the five ice stairs and walked up to the Doctor, looking deeply into eyes. There wasn't complete innocence and naivety in them, but, certainly, enough to know that he hadn't figured out very much.

"Fine then. I fill in the blanks for you."

With that, the ten special items the Doctor had collected in the scavenger hunt.

Ten vases. Each made of the same kind of clay, with the same kind of designs on them. Each one in different conditions, ranging from "brand, spanking new" to "practically falling apart". Each vase appeared on an ice pedestal with Roman Column designs.

I walked over the vases, fingering each one, delicately, as I passed by.

"Ten vases. Ten identical vases. Ten identical vases that you collected for me. Tell me, Doctor," I looked at him. "What would I want with ten identical vases?"

"Well, I highly, doubt you're starting a collection."

Cracking jokes till the end. Just like the Doctor. It was some pathetic defense mechanism. Still, it made my smirk grow wider.

"Give up? I'll give you a hint. Actually, I'll give you three." I ticked of the tips with my fingers to prove my point. "Rose Tyler. Her father, Pete Tyler. The Master. What do they all have in common?"

The Doctor, obviously, thought the hints were a crack combination, but he still closed his eyes and thought it over. A few second ticked by when, suddenly, his eyes snapped back open.

"Paradox."

"Yes."

"A Time Paradox."

"Yes."

"Those vases aren't identical. They're the same one just from different times."

"Yes."

"You're going to create a time Paradox."

"YES! YES! YES! YES!"

"BUT THAT WOULD CREATE A RIP IN TIME AND SPACE! A WHOLE IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"THAT'S THE POINT!"

"WHY WOULD YOU WANT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"

I looked at him, disappointed that he wasn't catching on.

I shock my head as I walked back up to him and reached my hand into my pocket. I slipped out the blood vile I got from TORCHWOOD. I twisted the cap off and held the vile under the Doctor's nose, telling him to take a whiff.

He took one in hale before wincing away. Then, his eyes showed realization. "That's Time Lord Blood."

"Give the man a prize."

"Where did you get that?"

"Bigger question is 'what am I going to do with it?' Now, I know you saw Mr. Mendel but… did you see my army?"

His eyes showed horrific knowledge. "You're going to clone the Time Lord Blood and inject the Army with it. You're going to kill all of the humans!"

"BINGO!"

"So, it's not enough for to rip a whole in Time and Space but you have to kill off an entire species! Why? Why?"

"Well, let's think about this for a second. 6 billion beings injected with Time Lord Blood will be present when a rip in time and space opens. Don't think _someone_ is gonna notice?"

And the horrors in his eyes reached a brand new level.

"The Time Lords."

"You're half-way there. Keep thinking."

"YOU CAN'T BRING THE TIME LORDS BACK!"

"Oh, no?"

"I WON'T LET YOU!"

"My dear Doctor. You won't be able to stop me. You even be able to watch me. You'll be dead!"

"How?"

"You'll be right over the time rip when it opens. Gallifrey and the Time Lords will come through the Rip and take back their rightful place in the universe. You will cease to exist."

The Doctor shook his head at me and said, "So, you're going to kill me along with the entire human race and bring back the Time Lord by ripping a hole in the Fabric of Time. So, now, just one final question; Why?"

My smirk fell from my face.

"I could see the hate in your eyes. I could see that you wanted from the first moment I met you. But why? Why do you want me dead? Why do you want the Time Lords back?"

I looked down at him, trying to hold myself back from killing him at that exact time.

I was up the five stairs again and standing in front of my throne.

My TARDIS, still in motorcycle form, was a few feet to my right.

I decided that it was time for the Doctor to know who I was.

I slipped my hands into my vest pocket and walked towards the TARDIS. Once I was close enough, I snapped my left foot out and kicked the front of the machine. This made the machine start to play and video file. The vision was turned off so the only thing playing was the audio. I leaned against the bike and listened to what I had heard every night for a very long time.

_Hello, Vespera._

_I don't know how long it's been for you…. I'm sorry if it's been too long._

_And I'm very sorry that this is probably not what you expected._

_I know. When you were 13, I told you that there was War starting. I know that I said that I needed to leave you behind for your own safety. I remember that I promised you that I would come back for you and the first thing we would do was go see Gallifrey._

_I'm sorry, my dear._

_I swore to you that I'd never make a promise that I couldn't keep. But I have._

_This war is far more serious than you know. We're fighting against our greatest enemy, the Daleks. Many people are dying. There's dissention in the ranks. And people are turning to critical, universe-changing actions._

_You know, every time something has gone wrong or things seem horrible… I think of you. And your mother._

_In fact, I've taken to telling all of my friends about you. You are a comfort to so many people. _

_Especially, the Doctor. You know how much I've told you about him? Well, he's heard just as much about you. He's said, many times, that he would be honored to meet you and travel with you… He's_ proud_ of you, Vespera._

_His favorite story about you is you're very first planet. Veerdig. He loves hearing about your very first reaction. You're beautiful smile. You musical laughter. He loves to hear about how you ran through the rain, feeling like air as you moved over the water. He loves to hear about how gracefully you danced in that rain, feeling free as a bird. He loves to hear about the bead of roses were you slept in peace with a beautiful smile on your face. He loves to hear about how you gazed at the stars, asking questions about what else you would see. He loves hearing about how you said that Veerdig would remain your_ _favorite world, no matter what other worlds we saw. He loves _you_, Vespera. He loves you just as much as I do._

"No." The Doctor had figured it out. Refusing to look at him, I flicked a button on my TARDIS' wheel and the image was turned on. A holographic image spewed from the headlight, displaying a man in a torn suit. He was bald on top but had surrounding ginger hair. He looked about 40 years old. And he was crying. This _was_ my father and the Doctor's good friend.

_My dear, my beautiful Vespera… I don't think… I don't think I'm going to survive this war._

_No, don't cry for me. I've lived a good life. I've seen the farthest reaches of the galaxy, I've loved the most beautiful woman in the world, and I have been blessed with the greatest daughter. I can die a happy man._

_I only wish I could've seen you one last time. _

_My Time Princess in her TARDIS castle._

_You've lived. You've learned. And now it's time for you to travel on your own._

_And if you remember nothing else, remember-_

Suddenly there was a huge noise, like and explosion. The image of my father cringed, as if shying away from debris. Then, he looked up.

_Doctor!_

Another explosion.

The image of my father was gone. In his place was a message that said that that was when the connection was lost.

Piercing silence cut through the air.

I refused to look at the Doctor (I didn't want him to see me holding back the tears), but, judging from the way I felt his eyes on me, I'd say that he wanted to apologize but couldn't find the right words.

And even if he could, and apology would never be enough.

"Picture, if, you will, a girl. She looks 14 but, in truth… because her father is a Time Lord, she is 140 years old. Her mother died giving birth to her. And, for three days, no father could be found. Then, one day, her father, the most wonderful man in existence, stopped his time machine and took the girl in without missing a beat or showing annoyance. He had far better things to do than raise a child. But he raised her. She grew up in that time machine. She grew up seeing new worlds, meeting new friends of all species from all worlds. She saw danger, of course, but that didn't stop her. That didn't make her want to stop the time traveling. She just wanted to keep going with her father by her side the whole time. She heard stories. Stories of an incredible man called 'the Doctor'. A good friend of her father's. She was fascinated by the stories. Oh, how she wanted to meet him. How she wanted to travel with him… Then, one day, when she's 13, her father dropped her off on earth at her mother's house, and said that he had to go fight a war. He promised to return with the Doctor and they would, all, have an adventure together. Then, he leaves. She waits. She's bored but she waits. A year passes. And then, one day, her father's TARDIS appears in her yard. She runs. She bursts through the door… and he's not there. All that's there is this message.

Imagine the horror, grief, and anger that blossomed over her face when she learned that a man she admired for so many years…"

At that moment I turned to the Doctor, his face covered with apology.

"… Had killed her father."

I pushed myself off of my bike. And walked to the edge of the steps, glaring down at the Doctor. "I am Vespera. I am the daughter of the Wanderer. I'm a half Time Lord. I'm 170 years old. I will rip a hole in time in space. I will bring the Time Lords Back and I will be the woman who takes your live. And I will do all this so that I can, finally, avenge my father and see the beautiful planet of Gallifrey. Have you nothing to say, Doctor?"

He was crying, the weakling. He shook his head at me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I turned away and yelled, "GET THEM OUT OF HERE! THROW THEM IN THE DUNGEON!"

I sat back down in on my throne while the group was dragged away. The Doctor kept yelling at me, saying that I didn't have to do this. Telling me to listen to him.

I just hid my face in my hands, hiding the tears.

Finally, his voice faded.

I looked up.

"It won't be long now, dad."


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

The dawn came.

It was the first time that Antarctica had seen the sun in six months. It was December 21st, 2012.

The day that many had predicted to be the end Apocalypse. The end of the world.

How right they were.

My army had been injected with the cloned Time Lord Blood and was ready to mobilize.

Then ten vases from ten different time periods had been set up in a circle. They were, all, connected to one another by flimsy tubes that were injected into their bases. I, also, had ten packs of cloned Time Lord Blood ready to be poured into one of these vases. The blood would be poured into the vases and would flow though the tubes. Once the tubes were completely filled, the vases would be connected. The Paradox would be complete. Time and space would be ripped to shreds.

The only thing that cold make the day better was an execution.

I stood in front of the circle of vases, smirking.

It was very cold because I had switched off the perimeter, but it was going to be worth it. If the Doctor was going to die, I wanted him to die freezing.

Six Ice Golems escorted my prisons towards the circle. The companions fought my shoulders the whole way, but the Doctor walked calmly, as if he was accepting his fate.

As he passed by, our eyes met.

He still looked at my with pity… and that was the last thing I wanted from him.

The Doctor walked into the middle of the circle calmly. He wouldn't stop looking at me.

"Any last words, Doctor?"

"You don't have to do this. Just listen to me."

"Doctor, I've been listening to lies about and from you since I was 30 years old. I'm done listening."

With that, I stepped towards one of the vases with a pack of blood. Nine Golems stood by the other nine vases and followed my lead.

I ripped off the top of the blood pack and they followed suit.

"Goodbye Doctor. Burn in Hell."

I poured the blood into the vase with wretched, teasing slowness.

My Golems did the same.

The Doctor was still yelling, telling me to listen. But I wasn't listening. And I never would again.

We were a minute away from the time rip, when, suddenly, the two Golems that had escorted the Doctor grabbed my arms.

I tried to pull away, telling them to stand out, but they would listen and their grips became tighter. They began dragging me backwards.

"Flamel! What have you done?"

"They never followed your orders, Vespera! They followed _my _orders!"

I locked back and saw that the Golems were dragging me towards my TARDIS. But why?

Suddenly, my TARDIS changed shape. It went from a Motorbike to a black, obsidian coffin.

I started fighting for my life, yelling at them to stop.

Wright stepped forward. "You forced me to create that wretched building. But you never expected me to tamper with your machine! You should have known better."

"Stop! I'm the only one who can make it so that you all live! I can talk to the Time Lords!"

Mendel joined the rebellion. "The Time Lords aren't coming! The blood in the Golems and the blood in the vases is human blood! Nothing more!

The Golems threw me into the coffin. "Wait!"

All three of my traitors yelled, "This is what you deserve!"

With that, the Golems slammed my coffin closed. I tried to push it back open but it was as if it was locked from the outside.

I started pounding on the coffin, telling – no - begging them to let me out.

I felt the coffin leave the snowy ground.

They were carrying me.

They were taking my somewhere.

They were going to throw me into the time rip with the Doctor.

A second after I figured it out, I felt the Golems throw the coffin.

Lighting crackled all around me.

I felt like I was falling.

'It can't end like this! Not after all I've worked for! Dad! Someone! Help me!'

It was as if someone heard my thoughts.

Something bumped into my TARDIS coffin and it held on.

Then, I heard a familiar sound. An electric, buzzing sound. Like a Sonic Screwdriver.

'So, he doesn't want me to be shielded at all when I die. He wants me die with him.'

The coffin lid was pulled off with a sudden flip.

There was the Doctor, hanging on for his life.

His had shot towards me and grabbed my wrist. He tugged me out of the coffin.

I was ready to fight him. If we were going down together, we were going to be fighting the whole way.

Right when I was going to throw a punch, the Doctor pulled me into his arm, pressing me close to his body and resting his hand on that back of me head.

"HOLD ON TIGHT!"

What was this about? Was he trying to save me? Comfort me? Or was this to get me to let my guard down?

We tumbled through the time vortex. He clung onto my as if both of our lives depended on it.

And, for some reason, I didn't fight. I kept telling myself that I was curious to see what he was going to do with me. That, maybe, and would see why everyone was so afraid of this Doctor.

We were falling through the time vortex. And, then, we were falling UPWARDS.

The next thing I knew, the Doctor and I were crashing back to the snowy ground. The impact made the Doctor let go of me. I rolled through the cold snow as the icy wind burned any exposed skin.

I shocked my head and pushed myself up to my knees.

I was sopping wet and freezing to death.

The ten vases were in pieces and the blood was spattered all over the snow.

My Ice Army melted to the ground with the blood still running like veins across the melted masses.

My castle had crumbled to the ground and was, slowly, melting back into the wasteland.

Flamel, Wright, and Mendel were lying on the ground, unconscious.

My TARDIS – my father's TARDIS – was lost in the time vortex. I would never see it again.

Amy and Rory were helping the wet Doctor to his feet and hugging him, telling him that they were glad that he was okay.

Everything I had worked for.

Everything I had planned.

It was for nothing.

I had failed.

I had failed my father.

But that didn't mean that I would go down without a fight.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring the sore, dull pain in my muscles, and start sprinting away from the sight. I don't know where I expected to run; there was no where to go. I had no TARDIS. But I still felt like I could run away from it all.

Suddenly, something flashed right in my path. Right in my way.

It was TORCHWOOD. All five of them had used Jack's Time Agent Teleport Device to come to Antarctica. The ride may have been rough but they shock it off and spread out, half surrounding me and they pointed they're guns at me.

How did they know?

What could I do?

I was surrounded by eleven people who didn't like me. Eleven people who wanted me dead. Granted, three of them were unconscious, but that still left eight people. And they were the most dangerous eight people I knew.

I started to panic.

I pressed my hand to my head and clench my eyes shut as I whispered to myself. "Think. Think. You came up with this brilliant plan. You have to come up with something good on the spot. You have to. It can't end like this. You can't let it end like this. Come on. Think!"

That's when I felt the Doctor's hand, lightly, fall on my shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I whipped around, pushing his hand away before I slapped him right across the face as hard as I could.

He didn't flinch. He didn't try to stop me. He just took it.

My breathing was heavy and angry.

He slowly turned back towards me and looked at my, that pitying look still in his eyes.

He took a step towards me.

And I took a step back.

He kept coming closer.

"You stay away from me! Get back! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He reached out to touch me. I smacked his hand away.

"Don't you touch me! DON'T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH ME!"

It didn't bother him. He grabbed hold of my wrist and started pulling me towards him.

"No! No! NO, NO, NO!"

He pressed me against his body and wrapped his arms around me. He rested his hand on the back of my head. I fought him the whole way. While I fought, I slipped on the ice and lost my footing. The Doctor hung onto me and knelt down, catching me before I fell. By then I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

"GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF OF ME! LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME YOU MURDERER! GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF OF ME!"

My screams crumbled and faltered into full on, loud, pathetic sobs. There I was, sitting in the snow, in the arms of my greatest enemy. At first, I pounded my useless fists on his chest and arms but, eventually, I just grabbed two handfuls of the tweed fabric on his jacket and hung on. My tears were freezing on my face. He was stroking my hair and rocking me back and forth… kinda like what a father would do to calm down his crying daughter.

The last thing I remembered was feeling something warm place on my back, shielding me from the burning cold wind.

Then, I think I fell asleep… right on the Doctor's shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

I started to regain consciousness.

I was covered with a something heavy. So many I was sweating.

There something on my forehead. It was lukewarm and damp.

My voice was hoarse from all the screaming and crying that I did.

My muscles were sore and some parts of my skin were itchy from frost bite, even though there were covered with a cold, thick, lotion.

My arms were resting over my head for some reason.

The lights were bright fluorescent.

I didn't want to open my eyes but I forced them open.

I was back in my TORCHWOOD cell. There were three thick blankets on me and a wet clothe on my forehead. Tried to bring my arms down, but I could move them; all I could do was clink my hand cuffs against the bar that they were wrapped around.

I didn't even try to break the cuffs. I was just too tired.

I just stared at the ceiling.

I don't know how much time had past but, eventually, the Gwen-girl from TORCHWOOD entered the cell. She removed the wet clothe before feeling my forehead with the back of her hand.

"Your fever's broken." Like I cared.

She took the blankets off me, much to my relief. She left for a bit and then, she brought in all the clothes I was wearing Antarctica. I looked down and realized that I was wearing a set of sweats that I had never seen before.

Gwen came over and un-cuffed my hands, saying. "Get dressed. We'll be starting soon."

'Starting what?'

She left.

I, slowly, got dressed, trying to be tender with my sore muscles.

Right as I was slipping my vest on, I remembered the warmth that wrapped around me right before I passed out.

What was it?

I didn't have time to think about it.

All five TORCHWOOD members came down to escort me and make sure I didn't cause trouble. They put me back in the hand cuffs. Jack led the way while Ianto and Owen took me by the arms and walked on either side of me. Gwen and Toshiko took up the rear.

We came up to main level of the TORCHWOOD hide out and found the Doctor's TARDIS waiting.

We all walked in and found seven chairs set up around the control console. Amy and Rory were already sitting in two of the chairs.

Gwen locked the TARDIS door behind us before we continued walking. Jack told me to remain standing and the foot of the stairs. I did as I was told while the TORCHWOOD people went to their seats.

Jack hit a few buttons on the console and pulled the leaver. We were going somewhere.

Then, Jack said, "All rise."

Everyone stood up from their seats.

"The honorable Judge Doctor residing."

'Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.'

So that was why he didn't kill me when he had his chance.

They decided to play this out like an actually trial. And _he_ was supposed to be my judge and give me my sentence.

The Doctor came out, wearing an actual judge's robe.

He looked down at me with all the sternness in the world, like he was my father and I had done something wrong.

He was acting differently than the way he acted back in Antarctica before I passed out.

At that moment I decided that I was not going to do or say anything. I was just going to stand there with my eyes close. He could say whatever he wanted, do whatever he wanted and I would take it.

"Be seated"

I heard everyone sit down.

"Prosecution, please identify yourself."

Jack stood up again. "You're honor, Captain Jack Harkness on behalf of TORCHWOOD as well as the human race."

"Defendant, please state your name and age for the record."

I didn't say a damn word.

"Defendant?"

Silence.

"Defendant, state your name and age-"

"You can ask all you want. It's not gonna happen." I looked up at him with all the smiling bitterness I could muster. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but I'm not gonna be a part of this sick little game of yours. You do whatever you want and take want ever you want… but at least I'll still have my pride. Consider this my plead of the 5th."

With that, I lowered my head and closed my eyes. The sternness in the Doctor's eyes faltered for moment but he, quickly, picked it back up.

"Very well. Members of the jury are you prepared?"

Everyone answered with, "Yes, your honor."

"Please read off the charges, Captain."

Jack stood back up and said, "You honor, the defendant has been accused on six counts. The first count is the attempted genocide of the human race. The second count is attempted murder. The third count is the opening of Time Paradox. The fourth count is the kidnapping of Nicholas Flamel, his wife Perenelle, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Gregor Mendel. The fifth count is breaking in and entering the TORCHWOOD Headquarters. The sixth count is the stealing of this TARDIS."

"Defendant, how do you plead to the charges at this time?"

I said I wouldn't answer any questions and I was sticking true to that promise. I didn't answer the question.

"Very well. What evidence have you all brought against the defendant?"

I heard Toshiko stand up. "Your honor, the defendant finger prints have been found inside this stolen TARDIS in question, as well as many door knobs and consoles in the TORCHWOOD Headquarters.

Owen joined her. "Your honor, all four of the missing people testified to the defendants kidnapping and death threats against them."

Gwen stood as well. "Your honor, three people have testified to seeing the Time Vortex in question. These witnesses had also testified to hearing the defendant's plans for murder and genocide."

"Thank you all. Be seated." They all sat down. "Defendant, can you provide any evidence that may show us that you are not guilty of these crimes."

He just would not stop. He was still trying to get me to be apart of this game.

But when I didn't answer, he didn't wait on me. "Jury… I will now ask for your input. How would you find the defendant if you were the judge.

The all stood up one at a time and gave their verdicts.

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

Of course.

"Very well. Defendant… We all know that you have refused to testify… however, that doesn't… but I must warn and inform you that if you continue to remain silent then you will be convicted… Then again, there's not much you can say to save yourself from being found guilty. The proof is undeniable. You are guilty on all accounts. You are guilty of attempted murder. You are guilty of attempted genocide. You are guilty of opening the Time Vortex. You are guilty of kidnapping four individuals. You are guilty of breaking and entering. You are guilty of stealing. You are a criminal."

"And you're a hypocrite!"

I couldn't take it anymore; I had to call him out. I had to call them all out.

Everyone was surprised at my sudden outburst which gave me the opportunity to tear them all apart.

I turned to my "jury". "You're all hypocrites!" I turned to Jack. "Captain Jack Harkness died in World War II. And you, an ex-time agent and a conman took his name. And if I recall correctly, one of your little con-projects was responsible for the monstrous reformation of a dead child." Next was Toshiko. "How many accounts have you falsified to hide the fact that a person was killed by something not of this world? Is that not illegal? Oh, and didn't you have a rather intimate relationship with a galactic criminal from another planet?" Owen. "And since we're on the subject of opening Time Vortexes and Paradoxes, didn't you lead the rebellion against your boss and open a Time Vortex just so you could bring back some flame who was old enough to be your grandmother?" Ianto. "As for you, one word. A name, actually; Lisa." Amy. "And don't get me started on the boarder-line prostitution."

I had hit them all right where it hurts.

The only people I didn't tear down were the ones I really couldn't; Rory and Gwen. They had never done anything wrong, really. But Rory wasn't very happy about me calling his wife a slag.

Most of them were really pissed off with me.

Some of them wanted to beat me to a bloody pulp.

But they were holding back.

Someone - the Doctor – told them not to do anything, regardless of what I did and said.

Fine.

It was time for the best part. Tearing the Doctor down.

I turned to him. "But you." I started walking up the stairs towards him. "You're the biggest hypocrite of them all. 'Breaking and entering'? 'Stealing'? Tell me doctor – tell all of us - Do you ever follow "No Trespassing" signs or stay out of locked areas? Also, where did you get this TARDIS from? Huh? But those things aren't important. What is important is this; I may have tried to commit murder and genocide. But remember, Doctor, so did you. You succeeded because no one stopped you. The Time Lords. The Daleks. The Weeping Angels. All are dead and gone. In one case, they never existed. And aren't we forgetting why I did all this? Aren't we forgetting the murder of my father? What else was I supposed to do, Doctor? Let you get away with it? Let you off Scott-free? I needed revenge for my father to rest in peace! So before you all start judging me and sentencing me to death, take a good look in the mirror and asks yourselves one thing, "Am I really any better than _her_?"

The Doctor and I maintained eye-contact. He was, clearly, hurt. Good. He deserved it.

With out saying a word, I whipping off his judges robe, brushed past me, and walked down the stairs to the console.

"I'll admit to the Time Lords and the Daleks and the Weeping angels… but what proof do you have that I killed your father?"

How dare he try to avoid blame? "You were there when I played my father's final message to me! You and your companions!"

"Is there proof in the message?"

I couldn't believe him. "The message ends with him calling your name and a big explosion! Then, the signal was lost! Is that proof enough from you?"

"That just proves that something blew the message recorder. That does not prove that that was the moment he died."

"Can you prove that he lived?"

Silence.

Then, without saying a word, the Doctor pressed a button on the console.

A holographic image of my father appeared by the door of the TARDIS.

_Doctor,_

_I'm sorry to be using this at the most importuned time but I was recording a message to my daughter when you blew up the Dalek ship. _

_The explosion made me loose the signal. _

_I didn't get to finish the message to my daughter._

_But that's okay… _

_I suppose I'm also doing this because I need a favor and I can't ask it to your face. It's a little bit out there._

_Doctor, I consider you the best friend in the world. I trust you. I trust you so much that I have told you everything about my daughter. My Vespera. I've told what makes her happy, what makes her sad. I've even told you secrets that she made me promise to keep._

_Well, there's one other thing I must tell you Doctor._

_Her mother died giving birth to her._

_She's only even known life on the TARDIS._

_She has no where else to go._

_There's no one to take care of her besides me._

_But, I feel that I won't be surviving this battle._

_I don't want my Vespera to be all alone._

_So, Doctor, I must ask you a favor._

_Take care of her for me._

_Even if she doesn't know you're there, keep an eye on her._

_I've sent my TARDIS to her but I don't know when it will get there… or how she'll react when she finds out what's happened to me._

_So, if you can, find her._

_Check up on her._

_Make sure she's okay._

_She's really is a brilliant girl… but… when she's depressed…_

_Just make sure that, if she's feeling down, find a way to make her smile._

_Make sure that she never hides her face behind her hair._

_Never lie to her._

_Never make promises you can't keep._

_Let her know that she can trust you._

_Because Doctor, the final part of my message that I couldn't finish – the one thing I didn't get to say was this._

"_Vespera, if you remember nothing else, remember this; you can trust the Doctor with your life. I trusted him with mine._

_Thank you so much for all you've done Doctor._

_Goodbye._

Silence still hung in the air after the message ended.

Tears had streamed down my face.

I couldn't believe it.

"It's a lie."

No one said a word.

"That's not real. I don't believe it."

The Doctor didn't say a word.

I marched down the stairs and said wit more conviction. "I don't' believe it. I don't believe _you_. Tell the truth."

Nothing.

"You're a brilliant man; surely you can make a fake holographic message from a dead man."

Nothing.

"Tell me it's not true."

Nothing.

"Tell me it's a lie."

Nothing.

"Tell me it's 'cause if it's not that means I've bee wrong this whole time!"

Nothing.

"TELL ME THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THE RIGHT THING THIS WHOLE TIME!"

Finally, he turned around. That pitying, apologetic look was back in his eyes. He shook his head at me. "Vespera. He told me to never lie to you."

Oh, god.

It was true.

I tried to kill a man who was not only innocent, but the man that my father trusted to take care of me.

Oh, god.

What would my father think of me if he were there?

I was pathetic.

I fell to my knees on the glass floor, quietly crying.

The Doctor didn't hold me this time. He just said, "I find the defendant guilty on all six charges. Your sentence has already been decided. You will be held in detention until we arrive at our intended destination. That is where your sentence will be named. Case closed."

Jack and Ianto stood up and helped me to my feet.

They lead me through the TARDIS until we came to an empty room that was locked from the outside.

Jack un-cuffed me and they both left me alone, locked in a depressing room to cry and wonder what my fate would be.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

I don't know how long I had been stuck in that room but it was long enough for me to calm down and stop crying.

I didn't feel any better though. I felt lost. Pathetic. Humiliated. Horrible.

Suddenly, for the first time, I took a look at the door and saw a navy blue dress hanging from a hook. The neck was square and the straps with ½" wide. A bow was at the front of the waist and the fabric flowed down to about knee length.

There was a card on this that said, "Change into this; you'll need it for your sentence. No shoes."

I hated dresses and the Doctor must've known that.

So, my punishment would include hazing. Wonderful.

Once I was done changing the door was unlocked and Jack was waiting with Ianto, Owen, and Rory.

Jack and Ianto walked in front of me while Owen and Rory brought up the rear.

They took me back to the main part of the TARDIS. Gwen, Amy, and Toshiko were that the doors to the TARDIS, ready to open them.

The Doctor was at the top of the ramp that led to the doors, sternness still in his eyes.

The men broke off from me and created lines on either side of the doors. I waited at the top of the ramp with the Doctor.

It was like moving down the gauntlet.

"Go to the doors."

I took a deep breathe and did as the Doctor ordered. My slow steps were met the cold floor as I moved in between the two lines to the doors.

I stopped and let Amy and Gwen put theirs hands on the doors, preparing to open them.

"Are you ready to accept your sentence?"

"… Just get it over with…"

"Very well. On three, ladies."

I closed my eyes as they counted down at an annoyingly slow rate.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

The doors flew open.

A slight breeze entered the TARDIS.

So did the sound of rain hitting water.

The rain smell filled my nose along with the smell of roses

It sounded, smelled and felt… familiar…

I slowly opened my eyes.

I saw a familiar night sky, full of diamond stars.

The rain fell from that cloudless sky and hit the ground made entirely out of clear water.

Roses were bunched and scattered over the water and the petals floated on the breeze.

What I saw was my world. My favorite planet. Veerdig.

At first, I didn't believe it. I hadn't been there in so long… yet it was still just as I remembered.

Maybe it was a trick; and illusion so that I would be disappointed with my actually punishment.

So I reached out with an open palm. Rain drops it my hand. I rubbed my fingers over my palm. It felt like real rain.

Then, I decided to test the water, literally. I stuck my foot out and lightly tapped my toes on the watery ground. It felt like water and it rippled when my foot came into contact with it. But, I also felt like I could walk on it.

A rose petal flew into the TARDIS and I, gently, wrapped my hand around it and felt it. It was real.

I let the petal fly away before I turned back to the Doctor and everyone else, silently asking with my eyes, "Is this real?"

Everyone was looking at me with sincere faces some. Some were even smiling.

But the Doctor had the best face. His smile was genuine. It filled his eyes. They said, "Yes, this is real."

He slowly walked towards me. He smiled down on me like a father smiles down on a daughter.

He lifted his hand, offering it to me in silence.

I looked between his hand and his face before my eyes asked, "Can I trust you?"

To that silent question, the Doctor's smile widened. "Yes."

I, slowly and hesitantly, rested my hand into his. His fingers wrapped, gently but tightly, around my hand.

He looked at me for one more second before jumping into a run out of the TARDIS, dragging me with him.

It took me a bit to get my footing correct and I nearly tripped a couple of times.

But, eventually, I got used to it.

I got used to running in the rain.

I was enjoying it.

I was keeping up with the Doctor.

I was smiling.

I was laughing.

Just like I did when I was three – I mean, thirty.

Suddenly, right when we were both just about out of breath, the Doctor stopped us and twirled me around.

Then, he had me place my free hand on his shoulder while his free hand held my waist.

And we danced.

We danced in the rain… like I did with my father 140 years before.

It felt good.

It felt nostalgic.

It felt releasing.

After dancing for many minutes, the Doctor spun so many times in a row that felt dizzy and fell to the water ground.

The Doctor joined me, lying down next to me. We stared up at the stars, laughing and smiling, letting the rain soak us to the bone.

Then, I lulled my head to the side and looked at him.

I was happy… but I was still confused.

"Why?"

He looked at me, asking me to elaborate.

"Why did you bring me here? It doesn't really seem like a proper sentence for a criminal."

With that, the Doctor sat up and I did the same.

"Vespera, you only did what you thought was right. I can't blame you because you didn't know everything. I don't blame you."

"You should."

"But I don't. And, besides, I promised your father and myself that I would take care of you if you needed it. Punishment would not help you. I should've listened when your father said that depression deeply affected you. I went looking for you. But when I arrived at the home you stayed in while your father was gone, you had disappeared and there was signs of your fathers TARDIS. I thought that meant that you were okay."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"Neither do you and I know that that's where you're trying to go with this."

He, obviously, still felt like he should apologize, but he smiled and let it drop.

I looked around my world, still taking it in. "So, this is where I'm going to spend the rest of my life?"

"No, it's not."

I looked at him, confused.

"You're staying with me."

Was he serious?

"Like I said, I promised your father I would take care of you. You've spent, almost, your whole life traveling between time and space and I don't have to tell you that it's very difficult to settle down and have a normal life after you've seen the things that you've seen. What happened when you had to stay on Earth and wait for your father?"

I gave him an admitting look and said, "I was bored with in the first hour of moving in."

The Doctor nodded with an understanding smile. "I know the feeling quit well." Then, he got serious. "We are the last of the time lords, Vespera. We have to stick together."

I smiled and said, without even having to think about it, "Okay."

He smiled with me.

He looked at his watch. "Time to go."

"Where?"

"We've got some people we need to get home."

With that he stood up, pulling me up with him.

I followed him back to the TARDIS.

I looked behind me, catching a glimpse of Veerdig before the doors closed behind me.

The trip back to Earth was awkward, to say the least.

The Doctor my have forgiven me. But everyone else… even if they did… I still hurt them…

First stop; TORCHWOOD Headquarters.

Once we landed, the team started spilling out. They were saying goodbye to everyone but me, and I didn't mind. For the first time in my life, I wanted to go unnoticed.

Captain Jack was the last person to walk out.

Once he had, the Doctor came up to me in my corner and whispered in my ear. "I think you owe them an apology."

I knew he was right and I knew that we wouldn't leave until the job was done… but it wasn't going to be easy.

I walked out of the TARDIS in TORCHWOOD's headquarters. The team looked at me, curiosity on their faces.

I rubbed the back of my neck, uncomfortable and trying to think of what to say.

"Um… I, uh… I…" I sighed deeply. "Look, I've never had to apologize for anything in my life so… I really don't know what to say..., other than, 'I'm sorry'… and that is hardly enough for all that I did and all that I said. You all shouldn't have gotten caught up in this. I'm sorry."

I looked down at the ground, waiting for unforgiving words to be slung right at me.

Imagine my surprise when Gwen's warm arms wrapped around me in a comforting embrace. When she let me go, I barely had time to breathe before Toshiko did the same thing. Ianto and Owen preferred handshakes, understandably, but they had forgiving smiles on their faces. Jack had the best face of them all; his flirty smirk. I started to shake his hand but he pulled me into a hug instead. "Don't cause him too much trouble." I giggled as we pulled out of the hug. "And, if you ever manage to nick the TARDIS from his again, come visit us. I can give you a personal tour."

Right when I was about to start flirting back, we heard the TARDIS door open. "STOP IT!"

"A guy can't be hospitable now?"

"Her father put her in my care. Think about that before you continue flirting."

The door slammed, punctuating his point. Jack and I rolled our eyes in unison before we parted. I saluted the group before closing the TARDIS door behind me.

We left TORCHWOOD and parked the TARDIS in front of the house of the Pond's. Everything was repeated; I apologized to the Pond's, they accepted and gave me warm hugs and told me to take care of the Doctor. This goodbye was harder for the Doctor, I could tell, but he managed to push through it.

Finally, we were floating in space; just me and my new guardian; the Doctor.

"Now. There's just one thing left for us to do."

The Doctor dug into his pocket and drew a silver key; a key to the TARDIS. He held my open hand up, placed the cold metal into my palm, and made me wrap my fingers around it.

I may have never met the Doctor before this whole ordeal. But even I knew the significance of this gesture; he trusted me. 100%.

I looked at him with a face that refused to believe him. "After all this? After everything I did? I mean, I understand that you're willing to let me stay so that you can help me. Take care of me. But this? How can you trust me so?"

He gave me his little smile. "I never know 'how'. I only know 'who'."

I still didn't completely understand his reasons… but I didn't pursue it. After all, he was a madman in a box.

I just undid the chain that my dad's clock locket and add the key to it. Then, I re-did the chain around my neck with a smile.

The Doctor returned it before clapping his hands once and saying, "Time for bed."

He started to, nonchalantly, work some controls on the TARDIS console, ignoring my "I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that" face.

"You, actually, have a bed time?"

"Nope. You do."

Take my "I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that" face and multiply it by ten. That was my face upon hearing his answer. "Excuse me. I haven't had a bed-time since I was a hundred years old."

"Well, better start catching up now."

"And, why do I need a bed time?"

"Because I'm your guardian now. And what I say goes.

If it were anybody else at any other time, I probably would kicked him to the curb… but I was starting to understand what he was like.

I smirked at him. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"I know! I've always wanted to send somebody to bed."

"Without going with them?"

When his blushing face whipped around to face me, I popped my eyebrows at him, letting him know that my dad had told me just how much of a closet-lady's man he was.

"Oh, shut up!" I couldn't help but cackle.

He nodded his head towards the opening that lead deeper into the TARDIS. "You room is down the hall. 3rd wing on the right. 33rd door on the left. Everything should be ready by now. Go get some rest."

With that he turned away from me and pulled his leaver, dismissing me to my room.


End file.
